Understanding the Swedish Language, one word at a time

As we prepared for our trip to Sweden, we considered whether to learn some key Swedish phrases to help us get by on our visit. We had the Rosetta Stone course for learning Swedish. Mike also had another learning system, but we chose to learn a few simple words. Hej Tack, Hej Da, and some city names. It was a good choice since the Swedish people have a very good knowledge of English and are very willing to listen carefully and understand us "one-language" American visitors.

There is one word that we have all learned and continue to understand more and more because the richness and depth of its true meaning is amazing. The first time we heard the word, "Fika" pronounced fee-ka, with accents on both syllables, I understood it to mean a coffee break, often including sweet desserts. But over time, the meaning of fika has continued to grow.


Fika a a time of sharing thoughts and ideas. It is a time to put the day-to-day life on hold and focus on thoughts and ideas of those around. We have all experienced many types of fika as a team in our first two weeks. Some examples will help clarify the true depth of the meaning of this word.

At a factory, fika is a time for workers and management to sit down and discuss any topic from professional experiences, ideas on how processes can be improved, or just sharing how the day is going.

At a university, researchers will have a fika to talk about their project, collaborate on a video conference between locations, and hold committee meetings.

At a Rotary President's house, we have had a delicious fika to discuss the week's activities, meet the host families and GSE coordinators while exchanging information about ourselves and discussing other ideas in a very open sharing setting.

When Jessica and I were having fika with glasses of water with a director of social services in the municipality, we had a remarkable experience. One of the residents of the group home we were revisiting, and this was a home for the most severely affected individuals with mental and psychological disorders, heard new voices in the kitchen and came to investigate. He said we were drinking water and became visibly upset because our host may not have been showing us proper respect because we were not drinking coffee. He tried to grab a cup and coffee pot and said one word clearly, "fika."



Fika is generally coffee or tea in midday, but fika also is sharing beer, or wine, or gin and tonic, or whiskey, or plain water. It is sharing experiences, ideas, life stories, or recent events between new friends, old friends, business partners, neighbors, or people with common interests. It is giving your personal, undivided attention. It is removing all distractions to engage in meaningful dialogue. It is a concept, an idea, a practice that our entire team will break back with them and truly effect our lives forever. It is our favorite Swedish word. It is "fika." ~ Wally (per Secretary Sarah)

City Living in Gävle - Blog by Jessica Blake and pics by Heather Williams

Hey Everyone!!
Well, it's been 4 days since we have been in Gävle and lots has been happening!!! Heather, Mike and I had a wonderful dinner at Mike's host family with great conversation and wonderful wine!! Heather and I were staying with a different host family and they were ready to take us but we had been offered dessert...and as Heather says "we always have time for dessert!!" We are sure glad we did because Jenny prepared a wonderful dessert which was a sort of chocolate cake...unlike ANY I have ever tasted!! The BEST!! We decided we need that recipe and I will try to make it just as good as Jenny did! Thanks Jenny!!

Then Heather and I headed to our host family Karin, who is a local Pastor as we would call it in the states. Since her place can not accommodate us both, Heather and I are a couple buildings over in the complex where she lives..so we are living in our own apartment! So we have been living there and traveling around the city square often. Lots to see!

My training sites have been rather interesting this week!! I have met with people who all work for social service agencies within Gävle. I have been getting much information about their mental health system and services they offer and let me tell you...I feel ashamed as to what we have compared to here in Sweden. Quite the difference!! I have toured clinics that would be similar to "drop in centers" or community centers, group homes and shelters but they have much more to offer and on a MUCH bigger scale that what we have in Milwaukee area and Wisconsin for that matter. The amount of activities, resources and qualities of these resources and conditions is unbelievable! Like nothing I have ever seen. In my opinion, miles ahead of what we have in the states. I have decided that I want to implement one of these clinics back home...my coworkers..are you in?!!! :) I took pictures of these centers so I will have lots to show you and talk about. I must say...they take care of their individuals who suffer from abuse and mental illness wonderfully!! So tomorrow, I will go to a center for immigrants who have been traumatized and also a teen group home or outpatient service as they would call it because the teens don't live there. I have been overwhelmed with lots of knowledge here and continue to try to keep up with it all. So learning alot!!

Tonight we are off to a concert with everyone and our host families! Off to dinner....
Take care everyone!!
JESS..(Honorary member of the Sweden Beer Academy)

Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Gevalia and Leaf incorporated! Written and Produced by Heather Williams

Apologies for my blogging absence but last week in Gävle found me and the team with a tight schedule and little access and time to blog. I'm working on another piece about my vocational experiences in Gävle and hope to get out early this week. We have now arrived in Borlänge, not quite a couple hours West of our last host city and are getting settled in our new homes with our new families. For now, I wanted to share this fun, quick blog and hope that it will leave you wanting more from our adventures in Gävle... and there will be so much more to share this week and next!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010. We arrived at the Gevalia coffee plant. The smell of ground coffee beans filling the air around the factory. I don't have to remind the Swedish how important coffee is here to the culture (go Fika!), a coffee dreamland for all of you Americans that need your daily fix... or several of them. Gevalia was introduced in 1920 in Sweden by the trading company Victor Theodore Engwall & Co. After 120 years as a family company it was sold in 1971 to Kraft Foods. Gevalia is the largest coffee roastery in Scandanavia and the company produces more than 40 different varieties of super-premium coffee and tea. Wally's shared with us that his wife is a fan and lights up with excitement when he speaks about the free coffee maker they get each time Shirley signs up on-line to get Gevalia coffee shipped to their home!

We are escorted this week by two fine Swedish Rotarians, Jana (they pronounce the J's here like Y's) so, Yana... and Håken, who will now affectionately be referred to as Hokey. You see, my name has been a little difficult for people to pronounce here in Sweden. Heather is not Swedish and the "th" sound is not one they use so here I am known as "Heater" or "Hedor". I adore it actually and only correct if asked how to pronounce... which come to think of it, I always am... but it still comes out the same. And saying it rhymes with weather... doesn't help! By Tuesday, Hokey has decided to rename me... he will call me George... which he pronounces "Yorge"... I question if progress has been made but I will be "Yorge" and he will be Hokey! He is on the left below and Yan is on the right (wonderful gentleman and we thank them much for all they did for us while in Gävle). Brit is our tour guide and she is a lovely woman, very knowledgeable about coffee. She serves us a cup of joe before we tour the factory... I not being a coffee drinker have taken it up a bit at this point in our trip as I think we have all found any boost of energy is much welcome now that we are working on week two of our adventure.

Before we can tour the factory, we must don bright red cover ups and stylish hair restraining hats. We are thrilled and as our team readies itself, I can't help but chant " Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Gevalia and Leaf incorporated! Da da da da da.... "Making our dreams come true"! And so our sitcom begins! Introducing....

Wally "The Big Manski" Smanski

Mike "Squiggy" Wahl

I couldn't decide if I would like to be Laverne or Shirley... all I know is that I wanted an "H" embroidered on my smock!

We leave Gevalia jacked up on caffeine and are quite chipper for our noon presentation. We are offered more coffee immediately after lunch which all of us decline, except Mike, who I believe is on his 5th or 6th cup of the day!

And what could be better than caffeine to get us bouncing off the walls? Well, candy, of course! So, we head to the Leaf candy factory... visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads! Well, actually none of us were familiar with the brand of candy but we're told we would be visiting the place where they make candy cars. You can check them out at http://www.leaf.eu/. We are given a thorough presentation on the company while being served many samples of the products, very yummy! We then again dress in very attractive outfits to tour the factory. Now I know what you are thinking... the same as we were... that giant doors would open into the factory and we would see umpa lumpas scurrying around preparing all sorts of goodies but sadly no. The manufacturing process is quite amazing and we are impressed on both of our tours today of the automation and technology that companies such as these have progressed to.

After our adventurous tours, Jessica and I are dropped at Sarah's host family where we have a lovely dinner and are invited to play table tennis by her host "dad" Thomas... whom will be known as "Tumas"... several of the people we have encountered here in Gävle seem to have a British accent when speaking English. Sarah and I grab the paddles and begin to play while Thomas serves as referee and we realize very quickly that Thomas is really into table tennis. Sarah serves... "No, no, no, Sarah!... you must serve again!". Sarah re-serves... "No Sarah!"... and Thomas explains that the ball must hit on her side before crossing the net. She tries again, success! Thomas is happy! We finish our game and Thomas is excited to take me on as the winner but I encourage him and Jessica to play. Jessica has made a disclaimer that she is not good... she is an honest woman! She hits the ball and it goes wild... she begins to laugh, we begin to laugh. Thomas yells "you're quite cleva, Jessica!"... note the British accent... but I must applaud him because he correctly pronounces the J while most people here call her "Yessica". We girls seem to have the giggles and can't stop... Thomas sees we are being silly and table tennis ceases for the evening. Jessica and I need to head home and ask Thomas for a ride. He apologizes and explains that he cannot.... he has had a glass of wine and cannot drive. You see, the legal limit here is .02 (while .08 in the U.S.) and the penalties are great so all the people we encounter in Sweden will not drive at all if they have had even 1 glass of wine which was this case with Thomas. We respect this and end up walking the mile and a half home. We have had a fun filled day and there is much more to learn in Gävle so we call it a night.

Stay tuned for the next episode...

Vocation in Sweden by Heather Williams

Before leaving for Sweden, friends, family and co-workers asked, "what is this trip about?". Now that we are here, I have continued to be asked this same question by the Swedes. My answer has evolved over this time.

The dictionary defines vocation as:

1. a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.
2. a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.
3. a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life.

What speaks to me is vocation as a "calling". I have often said the work that I do is "life work", more than a job, more than a paycheck but a way of life. The Rotary and the YMCA have very similar missions, to build strong communities locally, nationally and internationally. I have formed my life and career around the impulses that I have of doing good to others and I see this trip as a calling to absorb and share all that will enrich my life and the work I do.

I began my vocational experience in Östersund with an afternoon at the Yoga studio and spa but I am on a journey to immerse into the culture to see what Swedes are doing as it pertains to health and wellness. Karin, my host "mom" who is one of the reverends in Gävle, will guide me on my first day of vocational experiences here. I find that the Rotary hosts are having difficulty understanding what I do. They narrow in on the Christian piece of the Young Men's Christian Association and set me up to tour with Karin as she makes her rounds for the day. I am curious to learn more about this aspect of the culture so I am dry as a sponge, ready to absorb every bit of moisture for the day. Karin shares with me that many Swedes do not go to church and that as we heard in Östersund, volunteering is not popular among Swedes. With 50% taxes, the people feel they are giving enough. This is not to say that Swedes are not giving, as we have found them to be very kind and generous as they have opened up their homes and lives to us.

Our first stop is a homeless shelter known as Ria (www.helamanniskan.se), where Karin gives a short sermon and I am introduced to the small staff and many of the people who are utilizing the services for the day. This organization began in Stockholm in the 1950's as a church based organization to help those with alcoholic and drug problems. They offer breakfast every morning, offer a woman's group and take the people who use their services into the community to participate in such activites as gym or swim time. They speak of the struggles they have collaborating and again, finding volunteers. I share that the work I do at the YMCA is largely based on community collaborations and the need to support and grow or services to help more people is the basis of what we do so we are constantly looking at ways to enhance our programs and services. They are very impressed and even re-energized to pursue some of the connections that have been lost. Karin and I thank them for their time and we are off to our next deistination.

We find our way to the Gävle senior center and meet a woman by the name of Cina Kedvall, who is the Volontärsamordnare (volunteer coordinator) for Gävle. Yes, the city created a postion (just 3 years ago) to help provide volunteer support to such organizations as the Senior Center (where Cina's office is located), the Church of Sweden, Lions club and the Red Cross. The city funds this position and the participating organizations supply volunteers to staff the Senior Center. As Cina and I speak, a curios senior man hears me speaking English and is eager to talk with me. He introduces himself as Bo Berglund and explains that he is an interpreter by profession and shares that he comes to the senior center a few mornings a week as well as attending a local gym. Ahhh... a gym! The first I have heard of since arriving in Sweden. I know they exist but I have not seen any so I ask Bo to tell me more and he says, "Tell you! I'll show you!". He invites Karin and I for a tour and guides us to Korden gym where he is a member. and attends regularly. We tour the facilty which houses a descent amount of free weight equipment, a number of cardio pieces and a large studio. Karin and I continue talking with Bo as he shows us around and he shares that he enjoys getting out and volunteering when he can. Karin takes the opportunity to ask him if he'd be willing to help take some of the people from R.I.A. to the gym or swimming and he says he would. He gives us each his business card and she tells him she will be in touch. Bo must leave us but Karin and I are both touched and realize the significance of what just happened. Random occurances of kindness which can lead to such signifcant change in the lives of all that will be affected by someone saying "yes" to volunteering.

In the afternoon, I am invited to the University where a special guest professor (Terry Hartwig) is giving a lecture in English on Environmental Psychology. At the beginning of class he hears me speak English and as we begin talking he shares that he grew up in Michigan, has been living in Sweden for over a decade and his mom lives in Saukville, WI... which just happens to be 20 minutes away from me. Small world! Professor Hartwig's lecture is based on the theories about restorative environments and the social ecology of stress and restoration. The rotary leadership in Gävle was aware of my psychology degree and thought I would be interested in attending a lecture in this field, escpecially as it was being held in English which is not usual. This is the first I have heard of the topic and I am curious to learn more. A restorative environment is one that promotes a process of recovery from stress... ahhh... I immediately think of the Y and our new Healthy Lifestyle village. Every bit of our project was designed and built to allow for restoration, to allow for an environment of reducing stress and being well.

On Thursday I am told I will be given the vocational experience I have been looking for with a visit to Fjärran Höjderbadet, also known as Tropicanaland (www.gavle.se/fjarranhojder). I arrive there first thing in the morning and am greeted by Bernt Jonsson, general manager of the facility. He and a couple of his staff sit with me, I have lot's of questions and we enter into discussion about how the message of being healthy has been pushed more strongly in Sweden over the past couple of years through media and culture. They talk about the high level of stress that all people share across the world when it comes to all we juggle with work and personal responsibilities but there seems to be an increased amount of pressure on Swedes to be good in all areas of their lives and accept the stress with grace. We speak of the obesity epidemic in America and the influence that it increases to have throughout Europe. Surprisingly though, a recent study comparing American and Swedish boys shows that American boys are actually more fit, the main reason being that in the states, sports are incorporated in schools while here in Sweden, children and parents must pursue sports through the community centers.

Tropicanaland is actually a city run facilty but they are working to reach out and work with the community by offering swimming lessons to the local schools as well as many water aerobics classes for all ages. Corporate Wellness is one of their newer focuses and they have been trying to reach out and engage companies to ptomote employee wellness with partnership opportunities but have found some difficulty in making this happen. They are eager to show me around and I am introduced to the gym manager who takes me on a tour of their small work out facilities, and then Annica Tropp who oversees Aquatics for the facility, who takes me on a tour of over 6 pools which include a water park and outdooor 50 meter pool.

I am energized to continue my day and in the afternoon I am taken to Frikis & Svettis and shown around by Jonas, one of the managers. From the first time hearing the name, the first thing that came to my mind is Frisky and Sweaty... I share my renaming with Jonas, which I'm sure I have not been the first to refer to it as such, and we have a laugh. You can check them out at http://www.friskissvettis.se/. This non-profit organization was founded in Stockholm in 1978 on the idea that sports associations and health care should be able to benifit from each other's knowledge. I find that the concept of combing health and wellness is not a new one here in Sweden and while they do not have the facilities to combine both at this point, they have been collaborating for some time, including a prescription referal program that Dr.'s will write to their patients reccomending excercise at a health club. Friskis and Svettis currently has over 150 locations throughought Scandanavia and Europe with over 500,000 members. A signifcant piece of their business is that all of the fitness instructors are volunteers! This has gone against a lot of what I have been hearing so far but it seems Friskis and Svettis has it down when it comes to engaging fitness enthusiast, so much so that they are happy to teach for free in exchange for their certificaitons being paid for as well as uniforms and access to the gym facilities. Sounds like a great trade off to me!

As I end my day of vocational experience, my mind is full with new knowledge and I am eager to return to my work in the states although I realize there is still more to be learned here in Sweden, and so the journey continues...

Hey då till Östersund och hey till Gävle

Sunday we said hey då (good bye) to Östersund and hey (hello) to Gävle. This was our first good bye and they sent us off in style with a great good-bye party on Saturday evening. The party was held at Kristian Sjöström home. There was a great view of the mountains, excellent food and lifelong friendships. Thanks Östersund

Here is a picture of the Group at the party.

A special event happened at this party also. If you remember from the previous post Jessica talked about our evening and supper at the local pub. During this Lars talked about the beer academy they have. Jessica wanted to become a member but Lars was not sure if ladies were eligible. After some discussion with Björn it was decided she could be a honorary member. This include an official pinning ceremony. Here is a photo of her with Lars, Björn. Congratulation Jessica, its a long way from home to attend meetings, but you could always have them send beer and you could Skype in.

I have not had time to share about my host families from the first week so here it goes. My first host family was Björn and Bigeitta Wibom. Björn is a retired Swedish military coronel and Bigeitta is a anesthesiology nurse. Here is a picture of Björn on my left and my next host family on my right. Bigeitta was called in to the hospital and was not able to attend the party so I did not get a picture with her.

My second host family was Lars Sahlen and his daughter Anna. Most of Lars ceraer was spent in the grocery distribution business. He is partially retired and has his own business that helps others people who want to start their own business. Anna is a journalist working as the editor of the website http://www.minabibliotek.se/ a site for six of the municipalities around the Umeå area. I think you can figure out who is who.

Sunday morning it was off to the train station for the 10:40 train to Gävle. As most of you know, I love trains, however hauling as this luggage on and off is getting old. The room for luggage on the train is not made for suitcase you pack for a month, but we have made due. Know one seems to have gotten upset with us yet with all this luggage, but we förstå lite svenska (understand little swedish) if they do.

We arrived in Gävle at 13:59 and were greeted by two members of the local Rotary. We were taken from the train station to the home of Peter and Ingela Broström to have Fika and discuss the weeks upcoming events. I have an exciting week, I will be spending 3 days at Sandvik http://www.sandvik.com/. I an really looking forward to this experience. They have a lot planned for us, so it should be a great week. It was off to our host families from there.

Until next time.

Mike

Making the "moose"t of our trip! By Heather Williams

Our adventures continue in Ostersund.

Yesterday, we began our day at Mittuniversitetet (Mid Sweden University). Dr. Mikael Bäckström greeted us at the research center of technology where he is head of research, development, training and innovation activities in sports technologies. For more information on the University and the Sports technology research, go to http://www.miun.se/. His research is cutting edge and we sit and talk with him in fascination of the technology that he and his team are using and inventing to assist athletes of all levels improve performance and they are also world leaders in developing medical implants... and these are just a couple things they do... seriously, check it out!

We are then off to another rotary lunch and after, our team splits up and we were off on our vocational visits. I meet Ann, a member of the rotary and owner of Yogashala (http://www.yogashala.se/), a small Yoga studio in the heart of Östersund. She takes me on a tour of her facility and we talk about her business. Ann has a staff of 8, including herself and is fascinated when I tell her of our 200+ employees at my YMCA and all of the classes we offer. We talk of her coming to Wisconsin as a special guest instructor and we exchange contact info. and become friends on Facebook. I'm then off around the corner to meet Erika. She is the owner of Andrum, meaning "the breathing space" (http://www.andrum.eu/), a small spa that specializes in massage, body and facial treatments, personal styling and LPG which uses advanced technologies to reduce cellulite. Erika and I have a lovely visit as well and I return to the university where Sarah and I meet our new host "dad", Per-Eric... that's his first name, but we just call him Eric as all Americans do. Eric has two beautiful daughters... Elvina, a 15 year old, dark haired beauty... and Ellinor, a 14 year old pretty little petite blonde. We arrive at their home which is 24 kilometers outside the city... yes, in the middle of no where. Their home is quaint, beautiful, and we are quite impressed with the technological advances in the home, including a smart board projection system in the living room and a celestial ceiling in their dining room. Eric is the owner of http://www.pexcon.com/, a consultant company that works worldwide with consequences, emergency and crisis management, training and exercises. Their home is darling... very homey and Sarah and I instantly feel at home. Eric makes us dinner, he calls it spaghetti bolognese... I call it moose meat spaghetti, which he didn't tell us until after we were done... it was delicioso!

So, we end one night eating Moose... and the next morning, we are off to feed them. Do you see the problem with this? These Swedes! ;) We are greeted by Sune Häggmark, owner of the "Moose Farm". Sune previously worked in the public¨sector but now owns his own farm... so, in other words he went from dealing with bullshit... to moose shit! Lol! Sune even has begun a process of recycling moose droppings into paper which has been exported to many other countries and in Thailand they are adopting the process to make paper out of panda droppings and the same in Africa with giraffes. Holy sh*t!!

Here begins our photo shoot with the moose! Our attractive group with the beautiful countryside in the back and then our group again making the international greeting sign of the moose.
..

Here are my team members and team leader, Wally.... oops, my bad... that's not Wally! Where is Wally??

There he is!! And you wondered about my confusion?!

Meanwhile, back on the moose ranch!

I found myself really bonding with these massive creatures...

I had my eye on one particular tall, dark and handsome moose gent...

... his name is Hälge... and we added each other on Facebook as well!


Our visit ended with Fika time and we were off! We'll be keeping in touch with our moose friends by logging on to http://www.moosegarden.com/, log on to see their live webcam.

And off again! Our next stop is the Mörsjö Deli. This new business was started in 2007 by Anna Godevärn. They produce thin bread chips made out of typical Swedish thin bread (http://www.morsjo.se/). They have been doing this for hundreds of years so the concept is not new but the idea to produce and sell in mass quantities is now patented by Anna in Sweden. We took a tour of the factory and were able to samples these delicious chips and take a bag with us. Unfortunately these chips are not available in the states but I'm bringing them home with me for my return party that all of my wonderful friends are planning for me! ;)

After snack time, we head to our final rotary meeting and presentation of the week. We present our sponsoring clubs flags and receive one each from the Östersund Södra (so.uth) Rotary club. They are quite impressed with our power point presenation... and is it any surprise with these fabulous blogging skills! ;)

After rotary we are escorted to the Jamtli museum (the provincial museum) http://www.jamtli.com/. Here we learned of the history of the region including the story of the Reindeer keeps, vikings and much more about the people and culture. From the museum we headed back to our host homes for the evening.

Being good stewards of wellness, Sarah and I returned home and did power yoga while the family relaxed. We then shared a wonderful dinner, conversation, and the family even sat with me til the wee hours to complete this quite lengthy blog!

Well, my friends... it is time to sleep. Tomorrow we will participate in a Nordic walk, sauna treatment and "cole-bun"... not quite sure what that is... but stayed tuned for more. On Sunday we leave Östersund and head to Gävle, a city on the East coast just north of Stockholm.

God Natt och Ha Det Bra

(Goodnight and Be well!)

HEY!

"Hey" is Hi in Sweden! It has been a fun-filled week in Ostersund and we leave on Sunday to Gävle. Everyone has been truely amazing and wonderful. We have had many wonderful experinces already and I must say...Mike and I expereince the local Pubs this evening..Great beer, people and of course food!! So, I am guessing we will have more of it to come. We went to a Moose farm today and then toured the local Muesum. And Yes, Moose Farm. We pet them..(well I did not) but other team members did. I'm a bit shy when I come to a beast much larger than me!! The weather is wonderful...sunny and about 40 degrees.. I still can't get his km and celicus thing down yet...very complacated for us Americanäs I tell ya!! I just nod and smile..pretending I know what they are say... :) I will be trying to post some pictures but technolgy is not quite the same here. But overall..it's has been going great!! We haven't lost anyone yet!!
Talk with you all soon!!
Jess

Just a quick note that I have been working at my own blog, aimed towards my fourth grade classroom. It's more of a "G" rated blog and the basics for my students. But it does have other pictures that may be of enjoyment.

www.mscastleberrystriptosweden.blogspot.com

Thanks
Sarah

High in Are! Heather L. Williams

We spent the day in Åre (pronounced aura), which is the only world-class resort in Scandinavia, with skiing that matches many resorts in the Alps. It was the setting for the World Skiing Championships in 2007. We took a cable car ride to the top where we had lunch and took lot's of pictures. A Swedish woman named Ulla overheard us talking and asked how we had arrived in Sweden from the States with the Volcano activity? I told her I wasn't sure myself but we made it... and then we joked throughout the day that we'll be booking tickets on Queen Elizabeth II and journeying back by sea if we have to!

Åre also offers reindeer sleigh rides, dog-sledding and snowshoeing... but we, ok I, was more interested in checking out Åre Chocolate Factory at the base of the mountains, where hand-made chocolates have been produced since 1991 from recipes based upon old traditions and local flavours like blueberries, cloudberries, cowberries and also exotic flavours like saffron and chili. Oh yeah, I know you want some! Don't worry, I'm bringing some home!

We also visited Åre Glassworks where we watched the craftswomen at work and we each purchased a beautiful piece of glass art.

And as we expect every day to be here, we weren't done there! We spent time checking out the oldest and newest high end resorts in Are. We were again impressed by the history dating hundreds of years back and the impressive new Copperhill Mountain Lodge which you have to check out at www.copperhill.se. It is amazing! Copper everywhere including an entire wall of copper... wood, stone and slate perfection inside and out. We were impressed down to the black, scented toilet paper we found in the bathrooms... now that's a first! Don't worry, I'm bringing home the vendor name and it will be my first reccomendation to implement at the Y! Lol!

And yet you think our day was over? Oh no! We ended our day with dinner at the Equestrian School of Sweden and then returned to our host parents for our last night with them before expanding our Swedish family tomorrow.

Hay Dios Mio (Good Lord)! Our heads are spinning from our jam packed schedule but every moment is one to remember and we cannot thank the people here enough for their kindness and generosity. Tak! (Thank you... I'm getting good at this!)

Fika Time! By GSE Sweden Team member Heather Williams

Hej! Yeah, that's Hello in Swedish... pronounced "Hey"... I'm already speaking the language...lol... and this is my first official blog! Tuesday, April 20th started bright and early! Sunday and Monday were behind us and a bit of a blur after traveling by plane, train and automobile over 16 hours, through a volcano to get to Ostersund, Sweden. A city of about 70,000 in the Northwest region of central Sweden. The team and I were still in denial that we made it and to be quite honest we were all not quite ready to leave our lives at home. A slight delay would have been fine but this is what we signed on for... but a whole month! Missing work... yes, I'll miss work! And missing loved ones... old and new ones!
My host "mom" as I'd like to call her for this week is a lovely lady named Eva. She is a retired journalist and we have found quite a few things in common... for those of you who know me, I often try to find the similarities in us and celebrate what makes us all one people. Eva lives in a lovely 3rd floor apartment overlooking lake Storsjon. Here is where the lake monster "The Storsjoodjuret" is said to have lived for over 400 years... a distant relative to the Loch Ness monster, perhaps... for more detailed information than a fine historian like myself can describe here, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storsj%C3%B6odjuret. You'll also find more info. on Östersund and Frösön (yes, the keyboards here have ö on them... lol!). These are the two cities we visited today.
Eva and I have an early breakfast and walk over the Frösöbron bridge into Ostersund... about a mile to the tourism center where we meet up with the team. Happy to be reunited, we start on our adventure with our first stop being Hornsbergskyrkan (yes, this is one word... don't even bother!) Lutheran church. Everyone is Lutheran in Sweden... we talk about volunteerism as it applies to church and other areas and the priest shares that volunteerism is very low in Sweden and that almost everyone who does anything for the church is paid... which of course was interesting for me coming from the non-profit world where our work is based on volunteers. We tour the church and are lead to the basement where a locked cabinet holds old scripts. The priest pulls out a small book and hands it to me. I open the cover and see I am holding a hymnal from 1628! Need I say more?! Thought not!

After our church tour, we continue our history lesson outside where the "Frösön stone" Runic script sets. This stone dates back to 1050 and is the first written documentation of Christianity in the country. The stone pictures a Christian cross, a snake who's mouth is eating it's tail and a bondage symbol which tells of the bridging of Östersund to Frösön.
From the church grounds we mounted up... ok, we weren't riding horses... we jumped in the Volvo... and headed to the country side of Frösön to have "Fika" which is the customary break time in Sweden, in the morning around 10:30am and again in the afternoon around 2:30pm... we liked the sound of this and warmed up very quickly to the idea of "Fika time" as I like to call it. Any occasion to drink and eat chocolatey goodness is cause for celebration in my book! And speaking of warming up... it's a little cold here... who would have thought we would be longing for the warm days that spring has been bringing us back in WI.
From "Fika time" we visit Frösö church which is one of Frösön's major tourist attractions, a medieval church that recently had its 800 year anniversary. For more info. visit http://frosokyrka.se/.
Ok, let me remind you that at this point in the day... it is not even noon yet... 11:30am and we head back to Östersund where we are to give our first rotary presenation. We meet with the district governor and see many of our host "parents" along with meeting many new rotary members. Lunch is delicious and the presenation was well prepared and delivered (pat on the back team!).
From lunch we head to the Mittuniversitet (University) which is one of three campus locations in the province. Here we find that college education is free! Ok, so taxes are 50% of income but FREE people... you know what a term like that means to us Americans!
Our tour continues to the Town Hall of Östersund where we receive more history lessons! Our brains are a little on overload at this point but 2:30pm... and you know what time it is!! "Fika time". More coffee and a bite of chocolate is just what we needed to stay awake through a very interesting discussion about local government and industry... including a detailed plans implemented by the city and government to regrow jobs and industry when the military moved from the area just a few short years ago. We asked for the power points slides to add to our presenation for when we return... stay tuned for that!
We then proceed to visit Elisabeth Viggeborn, a private business owner and rotary member, she is our last stop for the day. Elisabeth owns Revent, a specialty golf travel company. She books clients to the finest golf courses in the world and has been doing so for over 10 years. We have interesting and engaging discussion about private businesses versus public, healthcare, benifits... so much more than I am prepared to get into here now that it is 3am Swedish time!
We wrapped up our discussion and headed back to the tourist center where our host parents awaited. I took the walk home with Eva... stopping at a few shops along the way... shoes people! Gotta check out the goods! Lol! You know I'll be sporting at least one new pair when I return home!
Eva and I return to her quaint apartment, she makes a lovely dinner of chicken and potatoes... we drink red wine and I share today's adventures and we talk of our lives... work, family... and of course, men! We finish talking around 11pm and then I am blessed to get in touch with loved ones at home and catch up some work... don't even say it... I've gotta do it and God bless the Iphone and thanks to my Swedish "mom" for use of her computer and internet!
Sleep comes a little bit harder when you're so far away from home (or was it all that coffee today?!) but it is time to rest now my loved ones and friends. We are up at 7:00am and off to climb a mountain... that so sounds like me... yes, I know. The team and I will take turns updating the blog so you'll hear from me again soon. Until then... Conquering Sweden, one day at a time! 28 more days to go people!
Hey Adjö... pronounced "Hey Do" (yeah, that's right... more of the lingo around here! Lol!) By the way, yes... everyone thinks I'm Swedish here... from the time I got on the airplane through today when a man on the street asked in Swedish if I was the cutest girl he had ever seen or if he was drunk, to which my "mom" answered "Both!" and we continued on our way! Lol!)
Much love,
Heather

Hej! Yeah, that's Hello in Swedish... pronounced "Hey"... I'm already speaking the language...lol... and this is my first official blog! Tuesday, April 20th started bright and early! Sunday and Monday were behind us and a bit of a blur after traveling by plane, train and automobile over 16 hours, through a volcano to get to Ostersund, Sweden. A city of about 70,000 in the Northwest region of central Sweden. The team and I were still in denial that we made it and to be quite honest we were all not quite ready to leave our lives at home. A slight delay would have been fine but this is what we signed on for... but a whole month! Missing work... yes, I'll miss work! And missing loved ones... old and new ones!

My host "mom" as I'd like to call her for this week is a lovely lady named Eva. She is a retired journalist and we have found quite a few things in common... for those of you who know me, I often try to find the similarities in us and celebrate what makes us all one people. Eva lives in a lovely 3rd floor apartment overlooking lake Storsjon. Here is where the lake monster "The Storsjoodjuret" (or "Birger" as named in the childhood story books) is said to have lived for over 400 years... a distant relative to the Loch Ness monster, perhaps... for more detailed information than a fine historian like myself can describe here, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storsj%C3%B6odjuret. You'll also find more info. on Östersund and Frösön (yes, the keyboards here have ö on them... lol!). These are the two cities we visited today.
Eva and I have an early breakfast and walk over the Frösöbron bridge into Ostersund... about a mile to the tourism center where we meet up with the team. Happy to be reunited, we start on our adventure with our first stop being Hornsbergskyrkan (yes, this is one word... don't even bother!) Lutheran church. Everyone is Lutheran in Sweden... we talk about volunteerism as it applies to church and other areas and the priest shares that volunteerism is very low in Sweden and that almost everyone who does anything for the church is paid... which of course was interesting for me coming from the non-profit world where our work is based on volunteers. We tour the church and are lead to the basement where a locked cabinet holds old scripts. The priest pulls out a small book and hands it to me. I open the cover and see I am holding a hymnal from 1628! Need I say more?! Thought not!
After our church tour, we continue our history lesson outside where the "Frösön stone" Runic script sets. This stone dates back to 1050 and is the first written documentation of Christianity in the country. The stone pictures a Christian cross, a snake who's mouth is eating it's tail and a bondage symbol which tells of the bridging of Östersund to Frösön.
From the church grounds we mounted up... ok, we weren't riding horses... we jumped in the Volvo... and headed to the country side of Frösön to have "Fika" which is the customary break time in Sweden, in the morning around 10:30am and again in the afternoon around 2:30pm... we liked the sound of this and warmed up very quickly to the idea of "Fika time" as I like to call it. Any occasion to drink and eat chocolatey goodness is cause for celebration in my book! And speaking of warming up... it's a little cold here... who would have thought we would be longing for the warm days that spring has been bringing us back in WI.
From "Fika time" we visit Frösö church which is one of Frösön's major tourist attractions, a medieval church that recently had its 800 year anniversary. For more info. visit http://frosokyrka.se/.
Ok, let me remind you that at this point in the day... it is not even noon yet... 11:30am and we head back to Östersund where we are to give our first rotary presenation. We meet with the district governor and see many of our host "parents" along with meeting many new rotary members. Lunch is delicious and the presenation was well prepared and delivered (pat on the back team!).
From lunch we head to the Mittuniversitet (University) which is one of three campus locations in the province. Here we find that college education is free! Ok, so taxes are 50% of income but FREE people... you know what a term like that means to us Americans!
Our tour continues to the Town Hall of Östersund where we receive more history lessons! Our brains are a little on overload at this point but 2:30pm... and you know what time it is!! "Fika time". More coffee and a bite of chocolate is just what we needed to stay awake through a very interesting discussion about local government and industry... including a detailed plans implemented by the city and government to regrow jobs and industry when the military moved from the area just a few short years ago. We asked for the power points slides to add to our presenation for when we return... stay tuned for that!
We then proceed to visit Elisabeth Viggeborn, a private business owner and rotary member, she is our last stop for the day. Elisabeth owns Revent, a specialty golf travel company. She books clients to the finest golf courses in the world and has been doing so for over 10 years. We have interesting and engaging discussion about private businesses versus public, healthcare, benifits... so much more than I am prepared to get into here now that it is 3am Swedish time!
We wrapped up our discussion and headed back to the tourist center where our host parents awaited. I took the walk home with Eva... stopping at a few shops along the way... shoes people! Gotta check out the goods! Lol! You know I'll be sporting at least one new pair when I return home!
Eva and I return to her quaint apartment, she makes a lovely dinner of chicken and potatoes... we drink red wine and I share today's adventures and we talk of our lives... work, family... and of course, men! We finish talking around 11pm and then I am blessed to get in touch with loved ones at home and catch up some work... don't even say it... I've gotta do it and God bless the Iphone and thanks to my Swedish "mom" for use of her computer and internet!
Sleep comes a little bit harder when you're so far away from home (or was it all that coffee today?!) but it is time to rest now my loved ones and friends. We are up at 7:00am and off to climb a mountain... that so sounds like me... yes, I know. The team and I will take turns updating the blog so you'll hear from me again soon. Until then... Conquering Sweden, one day at a time! 28 more days to go people!
Hej da... pronounced "Hey Do" (yeah, that's right... more of the lingo around here! Lol!) By the way, yes... everyone thinks I'm Swedish here... from the time I got on the airplane through today when a man on the street asked in Swedish if I was the cutest girl he had ever seen or if he was drunk, to which my "mom" answered "Both!" and we continued on our way! Lol!)
Much love,
Heather